Updated: Getty Announces $40,000 Bursary for Emerging Photographers

Getty Images has announced the creation of the Getty Images Creative Bursary for photographers who are under 30 years of age or have been working for three years or less. Getty plans to give $10,000 per quarter to help emerging photographers fund “dream projects,” the agency said in an announcement last week. Each quarter, a panel of judges will choose three photographers, splitting the $10,000 among them: $5,000 for first place; $3,000 for second place; and $2,000 for third.

“This new Bursary is a dream project of ours,” said Getty Images Senior Vice President of Creative Content Andy Saunders. “We are committed to supporting and fostering photographic talent, and are looking forward to working with a diverse group of young and emerging photographers, helping to enable their creative vision.”

Photographers who are thinking about applying should be sure to read the fine print. The terms of the bursary stipulate, among other things, that photographers who accept the funding “agree to grant Getty Images a worldwide, royalty free, perpetual license to render the project available for license on its platforms.” [October 30 Editor’s Note: Getty has updated their terms. Please see below for Getty’s statement on the new terms and conditions.]

The application period is open now through November 30 for the first bursary. Applicants are being asked to submit a project proposal and visual brief, and are encouraged to submit ideas in any genre of photography, from conceptual fine-art to traditional stock.

The Getty Images Creative Bursary is part of the wider Getty Images Grants initiative that includes the Editorial Grant, Chris Hondros Fund Award, Emerging Talent Award and Instagram Grant.

Update:

Getty has updated the entry period of the 2017 edition of the bursary. Applications are now due by November 3o. In response to questions from PDN about some of the language in the bursary’s terms and conditions, Getty issued a statement (the updated terms and conditions can be found here). In the statement, they said:

We are immensely proud of the Creative Bursary and believe this is a great opportunity for emerging talent. That said, we realize that for those not as familiar with the commercial industry and this way of working, that the previous wording of the announcement was not as easily understood and may therefore feel misleading. This is far from Getty Images intent.

As a result, we have reworked the language and stipulations of Getty Images Creative Bursary to make this clearer. Successful applicants of our Creative Bursary, will receive granted funds, with no obligation to join Getty Images’ contributor network. That said, the opportunity to sign on will be offered and should recipients wish to license their awarded work, they can do so, with 100 per cent of royalties going to photographers if they wish to pursue this further means of potential income. Following this, recipients will also be offered the opportunity to join Getty Images’ contributor network where they can license previous and future work with Getty Images, on a separate and traditional contributor contract.

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